Gaming laptops tend to come in waves—each generation bringing a cluster of machines that try to balance new GPUs, higher refresh panels and cooling systems that can keep up. MSI’s Katana series has usually sat in that space where practicality meets accessible performance, the kind of lineup that appeals to gamers who want new hardware without stepping into flagship pricing.
With the arrival of Nvidia’s RTX 50-series, MSI refreshed the Katana once again, and this time the focus is on bringing the newer architecture to the mainstream segment. The Katana 15 HX is the outcome of that push. It doesn’t pretend to be the most premium machine in the room, nor does it try to chase extreme specs. Instead, it sits comfortably in the space MSI has built over the years—straightforward design, updated internals and an approach that prioritises consistent performance over luxury.
I’ve been using this machine for a while now, putting it through everyday workloads and long gaming sessions to understand where it fits in this new generation. Here’s how that experience has shaped up so far.
Design and display
The physical character of the laptop is exactly what you expect from this series. The Katana keeps the angular lines, the visible venting, and the textured plastics that have defined its design language for years. It weighs a little over 2.4 kg, which makes it portable enough for short trips or movement between rooms, but not something you casually carry around all day. It is a chassis that feels familiar and rooted in the category it belongs to. Nothing about it tries to be minimalist or subtle. It has the presence of a gaming laptop and does not make an effort to disguise that.
Open the lid and the display takes over most of the immediate impression. It is a 15.6-inch 1440p 165 Hz IPS panel, and the first thing you notice when you start using it indoors is that the colour coverage is surprisingly strong for a device in this tier. Full sRGB and near-complete DCI-P3 coverage give the screen a level of accuracy that makes casual colour-sensitive work feel comfortable. Editing photos or working with creative apps sits in that zone where it is not professional-grade, but dependable enough for someone who occasionally needs consistency in colour.
The brightness, however, keeps the experience confined to controlled environments. At around 300 nits, the panel works well indoors, but loses strength quickly the moment you place it near a window or under strong lighting. The contrast also reminds you that this is still an entry-level display, with blacks that drift into grey and lack the depth you might expect from more expensive laptops. Yet, within the right conditions, the screen performs exactly as intended: smooth, sharp, and responsive, especially when you lean on the high refresh rate during fast-paced games.
Audio performance stays within the familiar contours of this segment. The speakers deliver clarity that feels slightly above the baseline for entry-level gaming laptops. They are not meant to anchor long movie sessions or become your main audio output, but they hold up well for casual use, short videos, and gaming moments where positional cues matter more than richness.
Performance and thermals
The RTX 5060 and Core i7-14650HX define the Katana’s personality. The combination is built to chase stable gaming performance without stretching into higher-tier thermals or pricing. Through everyday use, that character comes through consistently. Games that are heavy on visual effects or draw distances, like Cyberpunk 2077, maintain playable frame rates at medium to high settings at 1440p, and comfortably exceed them at 1080p.
Faster shooters and competitive titles feel responsive on the 165 Hz panel. You notice early on that this is a laptop tuned to deliver predictability rather than peak performance spikes. I even played the latest Black Ops 7 and the frame rates were well over playable rates on RAW. With Nvidia’s Frame Gen technology the frame rates become even better across the board. To my surprise, there’s no choppiness or delayed frame renders even with high speed titles like COD BO7.
That said, it is not a machine designed to chase raw numbers or compete with high-end models that can sustain more aggressive power limits. But within its category, it carries enough CPU and GPU strength to manage mainstream creative workloads. Short video edits, lightweight rendering, and general productivity run smoothly.
What helps maintain this performance is MSI’s thermal approach. During extended gaming sessions, the CPU and GPU settle into the low-to-mid 80s and hold their clocks with consistency. The fans make their presence known but stay short of becoming intrusive. Instead of sudden spikes or high-pitched noise, the airflow settles into a steady hum that blends into the room after a while. The keyboard deck warms up but never reaches a point where it forces you to adjust your hand position. For a machine in this price bracket, that balance between temperature, noise, and stability feels appropriate.
Battery life and everyday use
Battery expectations for gaming laptops are always realistic, but the Katana manages to exceed the bare minimum. With a 75 Wh battery, it stretches past six hours in light-use scenarios when efficiency settings are enabled. Tasks like browsing, document work, and watching videos allow the laptop to maintain steady endurance. It is not the kind of device you take out for a full day without the charger, but it provides enough support for a few hours of work away from the desk.
In everyday use, the laptop carries the same sense of predictability. The keyboard is comfortable for typing with clear feedback, and the four-zone RGB lighting adds just enough character without feeling overwhelming. The touchpad stays functional, though clearly designed as a secondary input for general navigation rather than precision tasks. The port selection covers the essentials: LAN for stable gaming sessions, HDMI 2.1 for hooking up a monitor, and enough USB ports to run external drives or peripherals. The 720p webcam and microphone fall short of expectations, but they are sufficient for occasional calls.
Storage and upgradability
Upgradability plays a subtle but important role in defining the Katana’s long-term value. The reviewed model comes with 16 GB of DDR5-5600 RAM, which can be expanded based on future needs. Storage, however, becomes a limiting factor. With only one M.2 slot available, any SSD upgrade requires replacing the existing drive. Gamers who maintain large libraries will notice this constraint quickly, especially as modern titles grow in size.
This single-slot decision affects how you think about the laptop over time. Performance remains stable, and RAM expansion gives you room to grow, but storage flexibility would have made the device more future-proof for users who rely heavily on local installations.
Verdict
The MSI Katana 15 HX, with its RTX 5060 and Core i7-14650HX, successfully serves as an affordable, stable gaming laptop, prioritising consistent performance over premium features. It offers reliable frame rates, good thermals, and a comfortable keyboard, with a display suitable for indoor use.
Its limitations are practical trade-offs, noted in storage flexibility, webcam quality, and portability. However, these do not detract from its core strength as a dependable, uncomplicated mainstream gaming machine.
Ultimately, the Katana 15 HX follows MSI’s successful formula. At Rs 1,34,990, Katana 15 HZ is a focused, reliable choice for users prioritising performance-per-rupee over high-end construction, delivering exactly what it promises.
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